Beauty is Found Within
by Ambarture
Summary: The war is over, Ginny is 24 and depressed, who can pull her out of it? What happens when she meets a figure from her past, shrouded in mystery? Chapter 11: In which Ginny goes home and finds someone she does not expect.
1. Monotone

Disclaimer: MINE!!!!!!!! IT'S ALL MINE!!!!!!!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. ::ahem:: *looks around furtively in hopes that no on saw that* hehe. not really. The only things I own in this are part of the storyline, Harry and Athena Weasley (not Potter) and a few house- elves. Summary: This is a Beauty and the Beast adaptation, I'll be taking ideas from several versions of the story. For example, the Disney version, the original, and Rose Daughter and Beauty by Robin McKinley.  
  


        Thought's, dreams, and flashbacks  
  


        Setting: Seven years after Harry and Co. graduate. Ron and Hermione are twenty-five, married and have twins, Harry and Athena who are about three years old. The war has been over for 7 years (Harry defeated Voldemort in 7th year). Ginny is 24. Ginny/Draco ship!!!  
  


  
~* Beauty is Found Within*~  
  
"But she warned him,  
not to be deceived by appearances,  
For beauty is found within."  
Beauty and the Beast – Prologue  
  


        For as long as I can remember I've been the plain and boring one of the family. Bill is the typical wild party animal, with enough charm to bend even Voldemort to his will. On top of that, he was Head-Boy for goodness sake! Charlie was the star seeker of the Gryffindor team and has just earned an Order of Merlin, First Class for almost single-handedly saving a town of Muggles from a crazed Hungarian Horntail. Percy, the model worker of the family, following in dad's footsteps, is well on his way up to head of his department. Fred and George, what more can I say? Their joke shop has become immensely popular and they're now Witch Weekly's two most eligible bachelors. Ron is an Auror for the ministry along with his wife Hermione. They've already had two children and Hermione is pregnant yet again. Then, there's me, the only girl awash in a sea of testosterone, with the exception of my mother, of course. I have the most boring job in the world, shelving books for Flourish and Blotts, the most boring bookstore in the world. You'd think that after 1000 years in business, they could come up with some better sales gimmicks than, "Come get your books signed by Gilderoy Lockhart, the wizard who can't remember himself!" Day after day, week after week, the same old books put on the same old shelves, the same wizened old wizards and witches coming in to buy useless spell books. I wish something would happen to me. I wish I had someone in my life besides my family. But wishing's no use, nothing ever changes.  
  


        "Miss? Miss?? Could you tell me how much this book is? Miss?" A screechy, elderly voice snapped me out of my reverie. An eighty-year-old woman stood in front of me, brandishing her cane and shoving an old, dusty book in my face. 

        "I'm sorry ma'am, my brain just stopped. You know how you're going along some days and suddenly, whoosh, your brain stops?" I smiled weakly, hoping that my light manner would cover my complete detachment. The old lady looked at me skeptically and shoved the book in my face again, asking loudly about the price. With amusement, I realized it was Hogwarts, a History, Hermione's favorite book. I told her it was two galleons, she paid, and finally left. 

        As soon as she stepped out the door, a face, surrounded with bushy brown hair appeared right in front of me. I screamed bloody murder (what else would you do?) and began fumbling for my wand. Luckily, I realized who it was before I could do anything. 

        "Calm down Ginny!" Hermione said, "Geez, and Ron said that *I'm* moody and jumpy nowadays." 

        "I'm okay," I answered shakily, "You just scared me, popping out of nowhere like that." 

        Hermione smiled, "Well that's good then," she then looked around at the various book buyers, who were staring rather intently at us, and said loudly, "Go back to your books! There's nothing to see here!" The shoppers immediately complied, Hermione was obviously pregnant and no one wanted to mess with a pregnant woman. 

        She turned to me, smiling, and said, "Why don't you take a break? We can go get a snack at Florean's." 

        "Sure," I said, "my next break's in 10 minutes, so can you just hang around here for a while?" 

        "You bet" Hermione replied cheerfully. 

        I returned to shelving books and Hermione began drifting in the direction of several bookshelves. After ten minutes, I dusted off my hands and set off to find Hermione. I found her at the checkout counter trying to balance a towering stack of books and find her pocketbook at the same time. Before she fell over, I managed to grab the gigantic pile of books and deposit them on the counter. 

        "Sorry, Gin," she wheezed, brushing a lock of stray hair away from her face, "but I couldn't resist." 

        I sighed, Merlin, I could just picture Ron's face. "How could you leave her alone in a bookstore Ginny???? Our house already looks like ten bookstores!" 

        Hermione finished paying for her books and shrunk them to fit in her purse. Then the two of us stepped out of the store into the bright sunshine. As we walked slowly to Florean's, Hermione stopping to buy quills and ink every so often, I contemplated on what Hermione wanted to talk about. She was usually so busy with the twins that she was rarely able to come visit me. And now, out of the blue, she just came and said, "Why don't we have a snack?" It seemed very un-Hermione-like. 

        Finally, we reached Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor. Hermione quickly snagged a table outside and we placed our orders. A small hot fudge sundae for me, and a root beer float with marshmallows, rainbow sprinkles, chocolate syrup, and a pickle on the side. I tell you, pregnancy can give you some pretty weird cravings. When Hermione was pregnant with her twins, I had to run down to the store every day while Ron was at work to buy her salami, olive loaf, raspberry bagels, and mint chocolate chip ice cream. 

        "So." I asked uncertainly, "What did you want to talk about 'Mione?" 

        All of a sudden, she looked fidgety and uncomfortable. "Well, Ginny, today is the… er… I mean… it's been about five years since Harry, you know, er, passed." 

        I stared at her apprehensively and she continued, eyes downcast. "And well… the ministry is going to have a ceremony in about five months. They'll erect a statue on his gravesite and… they want you to give a speech." 

        She looked at me timidly, as if I was going to blow up any second. I was speechless (pardon the pun), how could they expect me to do something like that? Just because Harry and I had been… no, I wouldn't think of that. It'd only lead to heartache. 

        "Gin?" Hermione's worried voice intruded rudely upon my thoughts. 

        "I'm fine 'Mione," I lied. "I just zoned out for a minute." "Okay," she replied disbelievingly, "Why don't you take the rest of the day off? Come to my house? We can chat for a bit." 

        I nodded numbly and stood up, preparing to go back to Flourish and Blott's to check out. 

        "Why don't you head home Gin?" Hermione suggested, "I'll go to Flourish and Blotts okay?" 

        I nodded again and made my way through the street, past the stone wall, and into the Leaky Cauldron. I didn't even realize I had stepped into the fireplace and Flooed to Hermione's home until I felt two small wriggling lumps crash into me, yelling, "Aunt Ginny!!! Aunt Ginny!!" 

        I could hear Ron laughing as I tried to pry the squirming twins off of me. Finally, after several minutes of futile efforts, I stopped trying and slumped back into a chair, exhausted. Ron smiled at me, looking about as tired as I felt. 

        "I don't know what 'Mione was thinking." He said wearily, "No one can control these two except for her." 

        I grinned back, then looked down at the twins sprawled in my lap. Harry, just like his namesake, was a cute little charmer who rarely paid attention to his mother's admonitions. Athena, however, was a sweet, curious, and outgoing little girl. I couldn't help but laugh when Athena pushed Harry off my lap and he started glowering at her with a glare worthy of Snape. Luckily, Ron and I were able to distract the kids before one of them started bawling. There was a small pop behind me and I turned to see Hermione standing there, hands on her hips, shaking her head and tutting at us. 

        "By Merlin, Ron," she said, trying to sound firm but failing miserably, "you can't even control two children! What are you going to do when this one comes?" 

        She smiled indulgently and Ron grinned as he wrapped his long arms around her and gave her a small peck on the lips. As I watched their tiny display of affection, I felt tears spring to my eyes. It reminded me so much of Harry and how we used to be, innocent and happy. Unable to stand it anymore, I set a fidgeting Athena on the floor and practically ran into the bathroom. 

        After putting my head underwater in the sink (A/N: Think Romeo in the sink in Romeo and Juliet) and drying off, I leaned my forehead on the mirror and stared at my reflection. Involuntarily, I began thinking of Harry again. Of his beautiful bright green eyes. Of his unruly black hair that I had to constantly sweep aside. Of the four wonderful years I had him to myself. 

        Memories assaulted me. _Harry, standing red-faced in front of me, asking me to the Halloween Ball in 5th year. Harry, grinning proudly as he accepted his diploma. Harry, flying swiftly and surely for the Chudley Cannons, narrowly missing a bludger, diving to catch the snitch. Harry, swinging me around in the air with tears in his eyes on Christmas morning, when I had given him his mother's diary, which had taken me months to find. Then, darker memories. Harry, standing menacingly over Pettigrew, preparing to kill him. Harry, chasing several Death Eaters into the forest and failing to return. Harry, sprawled on the forest floor, wide-eyed and lifeless. Harry, so peaceful in his handsome mahogany coffin. Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry_… the myriad of memories swam before my eyes, blending together into a swirling cyclone of vibrant color and sound. 

        And then, merciful darkness.  
  
A/N: Well, there's the first chappie! I'm sorry 'bout killing Harry, but he didn't fit in the storyline anywhere. At least I put his name in somewhere! Besides, I'm not the biggest Harry fan (check my bio). What do you think of depressed Ginny? She wasn't really in love with Harry, she thought she was but she wasn't. She loved him as a friend and a crush but she interpreted it as more. I made it sound like she really loved him, but she's just confused, or she might have another, secret, underlying reason. I'm still undecided. Suggestions are VERY welcome! Review PLEEZ!!!!!!!!!! ^___^ 

P.S. Ginny says Voldemort because after the war was over, they weren't afraid anymore. 

P.P.S. I don't know if any of you guys noticed this but there are some lines in there from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I just saw it and I couldn't resist. Well… after divulging that completely useless bit of information, on to write the next chapter!


	2. Floating

Disclaimer: MINE!!!!!!!! IT'S ALL MINE!!!!!!!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA……… ::ahem:: *looks around furtively in hopes that no on saw that*   hehe……… not really. The only things I own in this are part of the storyline, Harry and Athena Weasley (not Potter) and a few house-elves.

~*Beauty is Found Within*~

"Gin?" I heard a worried voice beseech, "Gin? Please wake up!"

Slowly, I began to lift my eyelids. But exhausted as I was, it felt like trying to lift a load of bricks. Finally I managed to pry my eyes open and a very anxious Hermione swam into view. 

"Hermione?" I asked, befuddled, "What's going on? Why do I feel so strange?"

 Completely ignoring my question, she jumped up and ran off, screaming to Ron something along the lines of, "She's awake!"

I was even more confused now, why was Hermione acting so strange? She hardly ever lost her cool, and now she was running through the house screaming! 

I could hear Ron upstairs telling Hermione to calm down, that the excitement couldn't be good for the baby. _That's right_ I thought, _the baby is due in about one and a half weeks._

A second later, Ron thundered down the stairs and rushed into the room where I was lying on a sofa. 

"Don't you ever scare me like that again Gin!!!" he yelled, before giving me a bone-crushing hug. 

"Um… sorry?" I said timidly, hoping he would get off before he broke one of my ribs.

He let go and stood back, looking at me thoughtfully. "Do you remember what happened Ginny?"

"N-no………" I admitted, "I have absolutely no idea at all Ronald, why don't you enlighten me?" 

He glared at me, "You passed out, and you scared me half to death, happy now?"

All of a sudden I remembered. I had been in the bathroom, thinking of Harry, and somehow managed to pass out. I groaned and buried my head in a pillow, preparing to scream. Luckily, Hermione did the honors for me. 

A/N: Well that was a shortie……… actually it's just there to be a filler while my inspirations and muses take a quick coffee break. Now, to the reviewers…

*Lyss*    I did consider Harry for a Gaston-esque role but I decided against it. I'm trying to go with the more traditional story instead of the Disney version. So I'm not going to have a real villain role. Besides, my story plotline is complicated enough. Thanks for the suggestion though! If you like Beauty and the Beast, I strongly recommend the books Beauty and Rose Daughter. They're both by Robin Mckinley and are great adaptations of the story. 

*Dizzy Flower*      Thanks for your encouragement! I'm leaning toward a girl for Hermione b/c of the ending that I'm thinking of. Don't worry, our favorite gray-eyed Slytherin will show up soon, probably in about one or two chappies. About the speech… I think I'll make it so that Ginny won't be there so someone else will have to make the speech. That person will probably be scrabbling around for notes right before it. I thought it would make a good comic relief. 

*Annika Oie*       Thank you so much! As you see, I'm updating right now and I'll most likely get another chappie up either tomorrow or the day after. 

REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~    ^.^


	3. Birth

Disclaimer: MINE!!!!!!!! IT'S ALL MINE!!!!!!!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... ::ahem:: *looks around furtively in hopes that no on saw that* hehe... not really. The only things I own in this are part of the storyline, Harry and Athena Weasley (not Potter) and a few house-elves.  
  


~*Beauty is Found Within*~

Hermione's shrill cry resounded down the stairs. Within minutes, Ron and I had raced up the stairs to find a sobbing Hermione clutching her stomach in agony. 

"Ginny," Ron said, trying his hardest to keep calm, "Go to the Burrow and get mum. I don't think we have time to go to the hospital."

As fast as I could, I ran down the stairs to the fireplace and Flooed back to the Burrow. "Mum!" I shouted, "'Mione's having the baby! Come quick!"

The next thing I saw was two streaks of bright red rushing to the fireplace, shouting, "Ginny, go to St. Mungo's and get a doctor!"

After getting the doctor, I returned to Hermione's house where I was greeted by two hysterical three year olds, both terribly frightened by their mother's screams of pain. I picked them up and took them to their room where I occupied them with various books, toys, and games. 

Hours later, the twins had fallen asleep and the house had quieted down. Mum and dad had left at Ron's insistence for them to get some rest. After waiting outside of Hermione's door for what seemed like years, the doctor came out. His smile immediately told me that everything was all right. 

I asked about the baby and he said kindly, "Congratulations! You have a beautiful and healthy new niece!"

I sighed with relief. Both Hermione and the baby were fine. "Can I see her?" I asked.

"Of course," he replied, "don't be too long though."

Cautiously, I opened the door a few inches. Inside, I could see Hermione lying exhausted on her bed. Beside her, Ron sat, holding a bundle of blankets. 

I knocked on the door and stepped inside. Ron's face brightened, "Ginny, I'd like you to meet Hope, your new niece."

Nudging aside the blanket, I saw an adorable little girl with Hermione's curly hair, and Ron's sapphire eyes. Her eyes fell on me and I looked back in amazement. The strangest thing had just happened, the moment I looked in her eyes, I felt an incredibly strong power emitting from the tiny baby. 

Ron encouraged me to take her and I did. As soon as I touched her, I felt it again, this unbelievable surge of power. I stared at Hope in wonderment. How could such a small baby have so much magical power and energy? She was barely two hours old. 

Soon, she fell asleep, still nestled in my arms. Carefully, I put her in bed beside her mother and crept out of the room. Immediately, I went to the kid's room and told them about their brand-new sister. They were ecstatic and jumped out of bed to see her, leaving me alone.

I sat the bed, exhausted from the excitement of the day. 

Somehow, I managed to drift off to sleep in Athena's tiny bed. Usually, my sleep was dreamless, but this time was different.

I was walking down a stone corridor in what seemed to be an extremely large castle. I was reminded at once of Hogwarts. But upon closer inspection, it was nothing like the school. All of a sudden, I realized I was looking for something, frantically wrenching doors open and searching the interiors. The longer I looked, the more panicked I became, even though I had not the slightest idea what I was searching so fervently for. My face felt wet, reaching up, I felt the tears on my cheeks. Finally, I reached the last door in the corridor. Shakingly, I reached for the doorknob and entered.  The only thing I could see by the dying embers of the fire was someone, or something collapsed beside a large armchair. I started toward it, sobbing even harder now, but the room dissolved into pitch-blackness and disappeared without a trace. 

I awoke, sobbing and gasping for breath. What was going on? Why did I have such a dream? But it wasn't that that worried me. In the dream, I had felt such pain, sadness, and longing that it felt _real_. Not just a figment of my imagination. My dream self had felt the soft breezes from the open windows, smelled the smoke from the fading fire, and breathed in the atmosphere of dread and fear. 

My thoughts returned to Hope, did she have something to do with the dream? I quickly waved away the idea. How could a small girl have anything to do with my dream? 

"It was just a dream," I reassured myself, "A nightmare, nothing more."

I rolled over and glanced out the window, dawn was breaking. Harry and Athena must have stayed with their parents last night. A pang of loneliness hit me, but I shook it off quickly. 

On my downstairs, I paused by Ron and Hermione's room and looked inside quietly. All five members of the family were lying in the bed, slumbering peacefully. With a small smile, I closed the door and continued on my way to the fireplace. 

I grabbed a fistful of Floo powder, threw it into the fire and stepped in. The next moment, mum materialized in front of me, standing at the kitchen table, up to her elbows in flour. 

She rounded on me as soon as I stepped into the kitchen, demanding information about her new granddaughter and her daughter-in-law. Finally, I was able to shake her off and go up to my room. I sank into my bed and looked around the room that I had lived in for twenty-four years. The room that had seen so many tears, false crushes, and lost hopes. 

I was still exhausted, considering that I had only gotten three hours of sleep the night before. Before I knew it, I had fallen into a deep slumber again.

_It was the same castle, I could tell that much. But I knew this was a different time. There were no tears on my face or feelings of dread in the pit of my stomach. The surroundings were different also. Instead of a long corridor, it was a room, no, more a gallery. It was covered, wall-to-wall, with paintings, sketches, and landscapes. But one portrait caught my eye. It was a image of a young boy, no more than five years old. But the expression on his face sent shivers racing through my body. A ferocious scowl was combined with a cold sneer on the otherwise innocent face of the boy. His silver-blond hair brushed his face softly and his stormy gray eyes conveyed a different emotion than the rest of his face. The fathomless silver orbs were filled with hopelessness, pain, and suffering. My heart clenched as I saw the loneliness in the boys eyes. It was the same loneliness I felt every single day. In that moment, I felt closer to the boy in the painting than I had ever felt with anyone else. _

_Slowly, I extended a quivering hand to touch the boys face. But before I could, a feeling of intense fear came over me and the room disappeared, leaving me alone, in the dark._

A/N: Well… I had no idea that my short chapter would cause so much trouble. I did mean to make that chapter longer but I couldn't think of a way to do it. 

*Gohansfan* Thanks for your support! Rose Daughter is an incredible adaptation of the story. Next time you go to the library, make sure to check it out. It is by far one of the best adaptations I have ever read. I'm going to try and update every day, but it's not guaranteed. Glad you enjoyed it!

*Arella Hallo* I didn't mean to be cruel! I hope this chapter is more to your liking!

*Im Biche Cuz My . Is Hevee*  I'm sorry you feel that way about my story, but frankly, I don't care. I understand you were trying to help with some constructive criticism but dissing a complete stranger is not the way to go about it. Oh, and by the way, I am perfectly capable of writing my own stories and I don't need a beta-reader to do my work for me. If you don't like, don't read, and don't flame. 


	4. Grief

Disclaimer: MINE!!!!!!!! IT'S ALL MINE!!!!!!!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... ::ahem:: *looks around furtively in hopes that no on saw that* hehe... not really. The only things I own in this are part of the storyline, Hope, Harry and Athena Weasley (not Potter) and a few house-elves.  
  


~*Beauty is Found Within*~

The next week I stood, still as stone, in front of the small cemetery where Harry had been laid to rest. I paused by the gate, blinking back tears, then continued to Harry's grave, which was placed between the parents that he had barely known. 

The setting sun bathed his marble headstone in golden light as I dropped to my knees facing it. 

"Sorry I haven't come for such a long time Harry," I said, trying to convince myself that he was listening, "I couldn't summon the courage." I hesitated, gathering my bearings.

"I wish I had some roses for you Harry, but they all died. I planted them last year and the rain washed away the roots." A tear fell on my hands, folded in my lap, "I just want you to know Harry, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of you. I know you're with your parents now and I try to be happy for you, but I can't. Everyday I wake up, and for a second, just a second, I think you're there. But then I realize you're gone, and you're not coming back."

My eyes were closed against the pain, tears threatening to spill any minute. I stood unsteadily, brushed off my robes, and slowly left the grave. 

Back at the Burrow, I stared at the cluttered debris that had once been my flowerbed. As soon as the seeds had taken root, a month long rain began, washing away all traces of the flowers. Only one flower had grown, raising a slender stalk before being beaten down by the unrelenting downpour. The rain had stopped a few week ago, but it was now far too late to replant the seeds. 

Vaguely, as if in a dream, I grabbed a pair of gloves and began clearing away the remains of the once beautiful garden. I worked tirelessly, not even pausing to get a drink of water. I was determined to empty it out so that I could plant more roses.

Hours later I trudged inside, covered with dirt, mud, and who knows what else. After taking a long, hot bubble bath, I crawled beneath my covers, hoping against hope that I wouldn't have another dream. My efforts, however, were in vain. 

_I was no longer in the stone confines of the castle. As far as I could tell, I was in a dark, mysterious, suffocating forest. A wolf howled in the distance and I shuddered involuntarily. I made my way through the trees, shoving aside numerous low branches and choking undergrowth. _

_After what seemed like years, I stumbled into a clearing. I gasped, the contents of that clearing were more frightening than the darkest nightmare I'd ever had. In the center stood a tall, thin hooded figure, his face hidden by a mask. Before him lay a smaller unhooded figure, wearing only a thin white shirt and shredded trousers. As he raised his head defiantly, the silver moonlight reflected off his hair, transforming it into strands of soft white gold. The shadows played across his face, hiding his features from view._

_"You're my son!" The tall figure shrieked, "And yet you betray me! Betray our lord, betray our cause!"_

_The boy stood shakily, "I am no son of yours," he growled, eyes burning passionately, "I have no father!"_

_"And for that you shall now pay the price!" The man snarled. He raised his wand, pointed it at the boy and roared *Metamorphoser feru*_

The boy fell to his knees, screaming in pain. The man was laughing maniacally, watching the boy in triumph. The clearing began to spin before my eyes. The horrible screaming combined with the hysterical laughter was driving me insane. I clamped my hands over my ears, watching in horror as the boy's shape began to change. I shut my eyes tightly as the world flew apart.

Drenched in sweat, heart racing wildly, I bolted upright, safe in my own bed. My eyes closed against my will and I tried futilely to grasp the last few remnants of the dream. There was a boy……… and a man. Why couldn't I remember? The boy seemed so familiar, almost as if I had seen him many times before. The man's voice also sounded familiar, a cold voice, full of malice and rage. 

I leaned against the headboard of my bed. "I have to stop these dreams," I muttered to myself, "but how? I don't even know what they mean."

I glanced at the clock and groaned. Four thirty in the morning. There was no way I could get back to sleep. Another night of sleep lost. 

Slipping on my slippers, I padded downstairs to the kitchen and made some tea. Sipping it slowly, I made my way to the living room, where I turned on the television. Hermione had bought the TV for dad last Christmas. He had gone crazy over it, taking it apart many times and examining each piece extremely carefully. He had even installed several wizarding channels into it.

As I flipped through the various channels, I caught sight of a familiar face. I turned back to the channel, it was WNN (Wizarding News Network) and the face was none other than Draco Malfoy. 

The newscasters face was grave as she began to speak, "It has now been six years since Draco Malfoy has gone missing. All attempts to find him have turned up nothing. It seems Mr. Malfoy has literally vanished off the face of the Earth."

"That's strange," I murmured, "he just vanished?"

I puzzled over the mystery. If he had truly disappeared, why did I feel like I had seen him recently? Suddenly, it clicked. The boy in the painting… could he have had something to do with Malfoy? I scoffed at the idea. It was utterly ridiculous. The dream wasn't *real*, it was just that… a dream. 

The rest of the news was much less eventful. After watching for another hour, I returned to the kitchen, where I found mum mixing up batter for pancakes and cooking another batch at the same time. 

"Morning Ginny!" she chirped cheerfully, "I didn't know you were up, would you like some blueberry pancakes?" 

I nodded my consent and she piled a gigantic stack onto my plate. About half an hour later, dad lumbered down the stairs and sat down at the head of the long table we had eaten at for such a long time. But now there were only three Weasleys instead of the former nine. 

Dad dug voraciously into his pancakes with the hereditary Weasley male appetite. I stared at him in shock. Even after twenty-four years I was still always taken aback by my brothers' and father's animalistic eating habits.

I picked at my food as mum chattered on about how beautiful and perfect her new granddaughter was. "Ginny?" she asked suddenly, "Can you go to Ron's today? I want you to check on Hermione and the children. I must go shopping for groceries," she glanced at dad pointedly, "We seem to have run out of food again."

Dad, completely nonplussed, continued reading a muggle book about electrical outlets. 

I nodded and apparated to Ron's house where I found the entire family gone. Luckily, before I panicked, I spotted a small note tacked to the door. The note said, in Hermione's graceful handwriting, "Gone to St. Mungo's, Gin. Come if you want to."

Puzzling over the contents of the note, I apparated to the premises of the gleaming white hospital. Inside, a nurse's assistant told me to go to Dr. Berkely's office.

After getting lost at least three times, I finally found the doctor's office. 

Peeking inside, I saw Ron and Hermione, speaking to a doctor with worried looks on their faces. Concerned, I pushed the door open and stepped in. 

When she saw me, Hermione smiled weakly and said, "Hey Ginny, I hope we didn't worry you. We only came for a routine checkup."

Ron nodded his agreement, but the expressions on their faces gave them away completely. 

"What's happened?" I demanded, "What are you guys hiding from me?"

For a long time, neither spoke. Finally, the doctor cleared his throat and began to speak, "Ahem……… my examination of Ms. Hope Weasley has uncovered an abnormal amount of natural magic in her system."

I stared dumbfounded at him and he continued, "Of course, you should be aware that every witch or wizard is born with an innate magical power."

I nodded, still unable to comprehend what he was saying and he resumed his lecture, "Ms. Weasley has the amount of magic usually attributed to a magical creature, sorceress, or seer. But I am not sure about it at the moment. I need to take some blood samples so that I can perform some tests and confirm my previous observations." 

"Don't worry doctor, we will do whatever we can to help." Hermione said determinedly, "Whatever you need to do, go right ahead."

Dr. Berkeley nodded curtly and strode out of the room.

I turned to Ron and Hermione, "How is this possible?" 

Ron sighed and hugged Hermione close to him, "I don't know Ginny… we'll just have to wait."

A/N: oooooooh… a mysterious ending… the next chapter will be about 4 months in the future, about five days before Ginny has to make her speech and Harry's ceremony. Everything to do with Hope and the dreams will be explained gradually, one piece at a time. This chapter was the first piece of the puzzle. 

*Lizzy*  hehe… there's more coming!

*Melanie Pointe*   Thanks! I never thought Hermione could work as a comic relief, but she wasn't bad!

*SAngel*  The boy is Draco, but he looks so different that Ginny doesn't recognize him. 

*Emeryss*  Thank you soooooooo much!!!! You've made me eternally happy!!!!!!!!!

*gohansfan*  Of course Ginny knows Draco, but if you look closely at the books, he doesn't pay much attention to her after second year (the singing valentine). Also, his appearance changed as he grew older, so she couldn't tell it was him in the portrait. 

*Arella Hallo* I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Hope you like this one too!

P.S. *Metamorphoser feru* means "Transform wild" in French… I think.


	5. The Beast!

Disclaimer: MINE!!!!!!!! IT'S ALL MINE!!!!!!!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... ::ahem:: *looks around furtively in hopes that no on saw that* hehe... not really. The only things I own in this are part of the storyline, Hope, Harry and Athena Weasley (not Potter) and a few house-elves.   
  


~*Beauty is Found Within*~

Almost five months had passed, and the doctor still had not answered our questions about Hope, despite Hermione's trips to the hospital every week. 

Hope continued to thrive, growing into an adorable and incredibly sweet toddler. Soft honey colored curls framed a petite face that was always laughing. Hermione, Ron, and the kids doted on her, but she never grew spoiled. 

On a more mysterious note, Hope seemed to have the strangest effect on people. Everyone who held her would walk away smiling. The most dramatic episode was when we visited Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione had invited me to accompany them to their five year reunion. Anxious to see old classmates, I agreed at once. At the reunion, I noticed Professor Snape sitting alone. Hermione, being the kind soul that she is, bade him to come and join us. At first he glared at us relentlessly, then, apparently deciding that we meant no harm, reluctantly sat at our table. 

Hesitantly, I had asked him if he would like to hold Hope. His only response was a snort and a moment later, seeing that I wasn't going to give up, a brisk nod. As soon as Hope was situated in his arms, his expression changed drastically. Before, it had been bored, annoyed, and totally uninterested. The instant he looked into Hope's crystal blue eyes, I saw pain, regret, and overwhelming sorrow flash all at once across his sallow face. 

For a long time he held her, just staring into her eyes. Then Hermione cleared her throat and Snape looked up, eyes brimming with unshed tears. His face resumed it's usual scowl as he passed Hope back to Hermione. Immediately he stood and strode back to the dungeons. 

During the rest of the reunion my mind was elsewhere.  _What had caused Snape to act so strangely?_ The question plagued me for the remainder of the day. Try as I might, I was never able to find the answer. I spent days looking through Hermione's collection of spellbooks but found nothing.

Soon after, things took a turn for the worse and I was forced to abandon my search. All around the country, strange creatures were popping up. Strangely enough, death-eater activity had also increased. The entire wizarding community was baffled. Voldemort had been defeated years ago, the few followers he still had were either in Azkaban or scattered and divided. 

Nevertheless, the Ministry began sending out Aurors to find and lock up the rest of the death-eaters. At first, Ron was not called upon, but as the numbers of death-eaters increased, he was forced to go on several minor missions. Fortunately he returned safe and sound each time. But alas, our luck was short-lived.

I was at Hermione's house when it happened. I always stayed at Hermione's when Ron was gone. We were sitting in the living room, sipping tea and chatting about nothing in particular. Ron had been called away again. This time he was only required to help Hagrid round up a couple of wild hippogriffs. He had been gone for a week, at least three days longer than he was meant to. 

        Suddenly, the fire blazed emerald green and a tall, lanky figure emerged from within. "Ron!" Hermione cried, throwing her arms around him, "Where were you? I was worried sick!"

        Ron, looking both exhausted and worn out, sighed in relief as Hermione led him to a cushy armchair. 

        As Hermione fussed over him, I couldn't help but stare at what Ron held in his hand. A rose, blood red in color, it's bud half open, revealing its jet-black heart. The fragrance from the rose overpowered me, it was deeper and wilder than any other scent I had ever known. 

        "Ron," I said, "Where did you get that rose?"

        He sighed wearily and held it out to me, "Here, it's for you," he said sadly, "but you have no idea how much it's cost me."

****

        Much later, after Ron had eaten and rested, he was able to tell his story. After taking a deep breath, he began…

"When I got to Hagrid, he only needed help with five more hippogriffs. We took care of those in about a day. Then, a young sphinx broke loose and flew to the top of this *huge* elm tree. It took us forever to get her down. She insisted on asking us riddle after riddle, some of which were really hard. 

It took us two days to get her down from that bloody tree! After that, I stayed at Hagrid's for another night. The next day I Flooed home. But I must have gotten out at the wrong grate or something, because the next thing I knew, I was in this huge stone room. I think it was a castle.

Anyway, the first thing that came to my mind was that I had to get home. So I turned back to the fireplace, but I didn't have any Floo powder, and my wand wasn't working. At first I thought it was just broken again, but even whacking it against the mantle didn't help. So I gave up and started exploring the place.

Blimey, you wouldn't believe how big the place was. I'll bet it was even bigger than Hogwarts! Well, I came into this room that looked like a dining room. It had a huge table down the center, loaded with food. I was famished (if you lived on Hagrid's rock cakes for three days you'd be starving too!). I wasn't sure if the food was poisoned or not. But it smelled *so* good. So I finally gave in and started eating. It was all delicious. Some of the food I hadn't even seen before. 

Well after I ate, I got really sleepy. So I started looking around searching for a place to sleep. I turned around and saw, for the first time, this sofa covered with thick layers of blankets. The strange thing was, it was in a completely obvious place. There was no way I could have missed it coming in. But then again, my attention was probably drawn right away to the food. 

The next morning, I woke up to another table loaded with food. After breakfast, I started exploring again, since my wand was still not working and I still couldn't find any Floo powder. The next room was a greenhouse, full of beautifully exotic and fragrant flowers. The most prevalent were roses. In every corner were rosebushes, climbing vines covered with roses, and individual flowers. 

I remembered how much Ginny loved roses, and how much she wanted to bring Harry roses so I couldn't resist. I had picked a rose at random and began to tuck it in my jacket when I heard a deafening roar. 

The next thing I saw was this huge figure bounding towards me. It stayed in the shadows as much as possible but I could still make out the silvery fur covering its body. Scared stiff, I dropped the rose on the floor. The thing came up to me and I saw that it was… I can't describe it… it was as if someone had taken a bear, a lion, and a human and put them all together. Large and hulking, with a huge silver mane, it towered at least eight feet tall. The most terrifying thing about it wasn't its body, it was its face. The face was so animal-like, and yet so human-like at the same time. You could tell at once that it was capable of thought. 

'How dare you?' he roared at me, 'I fed you, sheltered you, and you repay me like this? By stealing my rose?! The thing most precious to me!'

'I-I'm sorry,' I stammered, 'I didn't know. I only wanted to bring this rose to my sister. She loves roses, and hers all died. I just wanted to bring her one to comfort her.'

For a second I thought I saw his face soften. 'But it doesn't justify what you've done,' he growled, menacing once again. 

'Just tell me what I can do,' I pleaded, hoping he wouldn't want to hurt my family. 

He studied me carefully, 'I only want one thing,' he said softly, 'your sister.'

I was shocked. Of all the things I thought he would ask for, this certainly wasn't it. 'No!' I said defiantly, 'I won't sacrifice my sister to take my own bloody life! I'm no coward!'

He answered coolly, 'I never said I would sacrifice her. I only want some company. I am lonely, and I need someone to talk to.'

'I'll give you a day to think about it. The rose is a portkey that will bring either you or your sister back to this castle. ' He continued, 'If you do not come, I will go and fetch you.'

He picked the rose up, handed it to me and threw a pinch of Floo powder into the fire. The next thing I knew was that I was here, safe at home."

I stared dumbfounded at Ron as he finished his story. How could this happen? 

Ron looked at me and I knew what he was thinking. He was torn between going to back to the beast himself and leaving his wife and children behind. In an instant, I made up my mind.

"I'll go to the beast." I said determinedly. "Ron, you have Hermione and the children to look after."

"NO!" Ron shouted, "It was my fault! I should go!" He grabbed my arms, "Ginny! You can't go to that thing! I've seen him! He's horrible! He'll eat you up at once! I know it!"

"No he won't" I retorted, "He said he wouldn't."

"And you would take the word of a beast?" Ron said indignantly. 

He was livid, I could see that he wouldn't let me go. I looked at him, then Hermione, standing in the corner, tears flowing silently down her cheeks. On instinct, I grabbed the rose, which was lying on the table. I heard Ron's cry of anger and Hermione's dry sob as I felt the familiar tug about my navel, wrenching me into a world of a million colors and sounds. 

A/N: There it is! Finally up! I'm sorry I didn't get it up earlier! Well, we finally got to meet the beast! It took me a while to figure out how Ginny was to get there but I got it in the end. 

*gohansfan* Thank you! I really like the Hope situation too. Sorry I didn't put any explanations in this chapter. ^. ^

NOT UPDATING AGAIN UNLESS I GET 5 REVIEWS FOR THIS CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	6. Rose

Disclaimer: MINE!!!!!!!! IT'S ALL MINE!!!!!!!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... ::ahem:: *looks around furtively in hopes that no on saw that* hehe... not really. The only things I own in this are part of the storyline, Hope, Harry and Athena Weasley (not Potter) and a few house-elves.   
  


~*Beauty is Found Within*~

"Miss? Miss? Please wake up miss. It is time for eating." A small, squeaky voice jolted me out of my dream. It had actually been a good one too, but now I couldn't remember what it was.

I rubbed my eyes sleepily and sat up. I was to be lying on a deliciously soft feather mattress, a house elf hovering above me. Wait… a house elf? 

I bolted upright, shook my head to clear my thoughts and looked up again. Yep, definitely a house elf. She looked stricken and was apologizing profusely. "Lucy is very sorry misses. Lucy is not meaning to frighten misses."

"It's all right," I gasped, "you just startled me, that's all."

She brightened considerably and said, "Well then misses, breakfast is ready for eating."

For the first time I looked at my surroundings. My jaw dropped, I was lying in a gigantic four-poster bed, completely made of rosewood and covered with rose colored and rose patterned sheets and blankets. The rest of the room was no less amazing. It was huge, with an enormous window letting in the bright sunlight. Snowy white, lacy curtains hung at the sides, held back by light pink sashes. The golden sunshine washed over the various cushy armchairs, beautiful tables, and the numerous silver mirrors. As I sat down in a comfortable chair before a small table, I noticed that everything in the room was covered in a light pattern of roses. 

I ate my breakfast in silence as Lucy pottered about, making the bed and rearranging the roses on the dresser. I wondered what the beast wanted. If he was able to provide such a wonderful room for me, what would he possibly want with _me_? 

Before I could think about it any more, Lucy said timidly, "If you please, misses, master is wanting to see you now."

I stared down at my plate; all at once I had lost my appetite. Was I ready to see this… _beast_? The one who had forced me to leave all my family behind? 

Lucy's tremblingly spoke again, "Please, misses, master is not wanting to be kept waiting." 

I nodded numbly and stood up, following her outside into a star shaped rotunda that led to a long, wide corridor. After walking for ages, we stopped in front of a large, wooden door. Lucy turned to me and said, "Miss is to go in alone. Master is waiting inside." And with a loud crack, she disappeared. 

I placed my hand on the doorknob and gently eased the door open. Inside, I could see a dark room, the only light being provided by a flickering fire. A large figure sat in an armchair before the fire. A sudden spark threw a ray of firelight on the creature, showing a glimmer of silver fur. 

"Welcome, Virginia," came a deep, rumbling voice. 

My mouth opened, but no words came out. The figure rose and started towards me. I backed away automatically. "Don't be afraid," the voice continued, "I mean you no harm."

I could now see its face and I gasped. It was just as Ron had described it, so wild and yet with such a sorrowful and remorseful expression that it couldn't be anything _but_ human. 

He studied me carefully, "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, sir, it's just that… I'm wondering why you want me here." I said, hardly believing my own daring.

"I already told your brother," he replied, "I'm lonely and I want a companion."

"B-but the house elves sir ---"

"I want human companionship." he cut me off. "You are to have dinner with me every night. You may do what you wish with the daytime. Call me Beast, I will not answer to Sir."

I nodded my agreement and fled out of the room. I ran for who knows how long, only stopping when my lungs burned for air and my heart beat painfully in my chest. I leaned against a wall; gasping for breath, and let the tears flow down my cheeks. Why was I crying? He hadn't done anything to me. But seeing the oh-so human expression on his wild face was utterly confusing. 

I composed myself and looked around, I was in a corridor that I had never seen before. I walked along it, occasionally looking into the rooms that lined it and turned a corner. All of sudden I saw a white door, covered with faint dustings of light pink roses. A small sign by the door said 'Ginny's Room'.  Puzzled, I opened the door, only to find my beautiful, rose-covered room. I looked outside again, to see that the corridor had changed to the original star shaped rotunda. 

I tried to go exploring, but every time I got lost, I would always end up outside 'Ginny's Room' again. It was very frustrating. I could never get anywhere. How was I supposed to "do as I like" if everything kept moving?

Finally, I was able to find my way to the Entrance Hall. Outside, the sky was a clear azure lined with fluffy clouds. The sun shone down softly on the expansive gardens and orchards. I walked around the giant maze of flowers, marveling at the many exotic buds and flowers. At the orchards, I picked a peach from a tree and bit into it, the delicious juice running down my chin. 

After a while, I returned to my room, strangely happier than I had been in months. Lucy and another house elf name Fizzy brought me my lunch and stayed for the rest of the day, chatting a bit. I found their presences to be very uplifting; they eased the loneliness and silence somewhat. 

When night fell, Lucy led me to a large armoire, where she pulled out a beautiful dark blue, velvet dress. It clung neatly to my body and flared out softly at the bottom. Fizzy snapped her fingers and my hair was arranged in an elegant bun. She snapped her fingers again and a delicate silver necklace and earrings appeared on my neck and ears.   

Soon after, I made my way to a large dining room, where one place was set at the head of a long table. Hesitantly I sat in the only chair present. Then, a deep voice came from the shadows, "I'm glad you came, Virginia."

"Please," I called out, "call me Ginny."

"Very well," it said, "Ginny."

The beast came out from the darkness and sat down in a chair that had been conjured out of thin air. Soon, some food appeared on my plate. Slowly, very aware that the beast was staring at me, I started to eat. It was very delicious but I ate sparingly; I could feel the beast's bottomless silver eyes upon me, watching my every move. 

Finally, I put my fork down and said to the beast softly, "I don't think I can eat anymore. I'm afraid I've never had much of an appetite, nothing like my brothers."

I heard the beast emit a low, rumbling sound. I was unsure of what it was at first. Then I looked at his face, the teeth were bared in what could almost be called a smile. The beast was laughing!

I didn't know why I was so surprised. Every creature should be capable of laughter and merriment after all. But the seriousness on his face had misled me to believe that he was incapable of laughter.

I smiled back at him, glad that I had been able to make him laugh. I stood and started walking out of the room. About halfway to the door, I paused and turned around. The beast was no longer there. Surprisingly, I was almost disappointed that he had left so quickly. _But so did you_, I reminded myself.

I walked slowly back to my room and stood at the window for a while, looking at the beautiful gardens bathed in milky-white moonlight. My breath hitched in my throat. What were Ron and Hermione doing now? I wondered if they had had any news about Hope. 

I offered a silent prayer to the stars, wishing for the safety of my family. I surprised myself by praying for the beast; he had seemed so lonely and sad that I couldn't stop myself.

I walked over to my bed, where I found a nightgown waiting for me. I slipped it on and crawled into bed. The last thing I heard before I drifted into dreamland was Fizzy whispering softly, "Don't worry Lucy, they will learn to love each other."

A/N: Well there you go!!! First contact between Ginny and the Beast! Next chapter, explanations and new discoveries! REVIEW!!!!!!!

*gohansfan*  Thanks so much for your continued support! Don't worry, I'm still posting this chapter……… the 5 review thing was only an incentive……… hehe. ^.~

*riverchic1998* hehe……… I'm glad you like it!

*Angie* Many thanks. I really like the original version too. That's why I chose it over the Disney version. Lucius turned Draco into the beast because he betrayed him (see chapter 4). 


	7. AN: Read Please!

I am sooooo sorry but I don't think I'll be able to update for a while... I have a bunch of projects to do and term papers to write. Plus... my parents put me on restriction from the internet (and from going out, and from talking on the phone). I'll probably get a chapter in on Monday (since it's a teacher workday). I'll try my hardest!!!  
  
This is DEFINITELY not the end of the story... I am soooooooo finishing it! It's just a warning that I might not be able to update as regularly. Sorry if I caused any confusion! 


	8. Discovery

Disclaimer: MINE!!!!!!!! IT'S ALL MINE!!!!!!!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... ::ahem:: *looks around furtively in hopes that no on saw that* hehe... not really. The only things I own in this are part of the storyline, Hope, Harry and Athena Weasley (not Potter) and a few house-elves.   
  


~*Beauty is Found Within*~

The next morning, after dressing and eating breakfast, I went out to the gardens again.  This time, I found a beautiful greenhouse, filled with millions of beautiful roses. Why the beast needed a greenhouse _and_ a garden was beyond me. Perhaps this greenhouse was reserved only for his roses. 

Inside was just how Ron had described it. Thousands upon thousands of roses, climbing up trellises, wound around ancient sundials, blooming from gigantic bushes. The fragrances mixed and blended into a beautiful perfume of a million scents. 

I walked around, delighting in the many lovely flowers blossoming all around me. But then, something caught my eye. It was a small rosebush, shriveled and dying. And upon it, a single rose, still bravely hanging on. I dropped to my knees before it and examined it closely. The bush was definitely dying; there was no doubt about it. Suddenly I felt a strong sense of determination. I needed to save this flower bush. I didn't know why, but I just had too. 

I ran back to my room and asked Fizzy where I could find some gardening tools. Confused, but still willing, Fizzy led me to a small gardener's shed where there were enough tools to keep even _me_ happy. 

I worked on the bush all day, watering it, pruning it, fussing over it so much that I reminded myself of mum (not really a good thing). 

Finally, my growling stomach told me that it was lunchtime. I stood up, stretching my aching knees and headed back to my room, where I found a delicious lunch waiting for me. After eating more than I could ever remember eating in my life, I began poking around the castle once again. 

Soon, I found myself in a long hallway, lined with countless giant windows. As I looked outside, I wondered why I had never before noticed that the castle was surrounded by a vast, dark forest. Distant ice capped mountains gleamed in the sunlight. Strangely, there were no birds or animals to be seen in the forest. A thought struck me. I had never seen any animals around the castle. There were no birds, no squirrels, and no bees even! 

Still pondering the thought, I reached the last door in the walkway, a huge golden door, covered with delicate gilt engravings. 

Curious, I pushed open the door and gasped. It was the room from my dream! The same large gallery, filled with the many paintings and images. And in the center, just like in my dream, was the portrait of the boy. This time, he was no longer smirking. His face was that of a lost child, forlorn and abandoned. 

His eyes still held the haunting pain and sadness that I had seen before. Before I could stop myself, I reached out a trembling hand to touch the painting. At that exact moment, I felt a shadowy presence behind me and jerked my hand back, fear washing over me immediately. 

I turned slowly and saw the beast standing there, just looking at me. His face was hidden from the light, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. 

He came toward me and I shrank back automatically. He stopped and I felt ashamed. _He wasn't doing anything to you _I admonished myself.

The beast came toward me. I could now see his eyes. But they were hooded, shielded from the world. I stammered out an apology. 

"There is no reason for apologizing", he said softly. "I told you that you are allowed to do as you wish."

Hesitantly, I said, "Who is the boy in the portrait?"

After a long, tense silence, he answered, "The boy was. He is no longer."

He then turned and began walking away, leaving me standing in the middle of the gallery. He said over his shoulder, "I can show you something that may be a better place to spend the day."

He started walking again and I followed, wondering where he planned to take me. 

We wandered the infinite corridors, turning occasionally only to encounter yet another endless passage. Finally, the beast halted before a large wooden door with giant silver doorknobs. He opened them and beckoned me inside.

I gasped. The inside of the room was extraordinary. It was an enormous room, filled from wall to wall with shelves and shelves of books. Towering stepladders stood at attention, waiting to be used. 

Elated though I was, I felt a pang of homesickness hit me. Hermione would have loved this place. She probably could have stayed in here for days, not even leaving to eat or sleep. 

I turned to thank the beast, but he was gone. Oddly, I felt almost disappointed at his leaving. 

Shaking it off, I began slowly examining the bookshelves. The books on them were all spellbooks. Leather-bound volumes with golden letters, and black, sinister-looking tomes covered with a horrible red colored substance.   
My fingers skimmed over the books, pausing slightly over a few. 

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small, dust-covered book. I pulled it out slowly, wiping away the dirt and grime, in search of a nonexistent title. The brittle paper crackled as I flipped through the pages. 

A single page caught my eye. Bold letters at the top stated clearly, _The Mystery of Seers_. I recalled, as if from another life, the doctor telling Ron and Hermione about Hope. He had mentioned seers. Could there possibly be a connection?

I read hungrily, anxious to find an answer to this puzzle.

The Mystery of Seers

Seers have long dwelt in the realm of mystery. There is very little known about how they come to be. Unlike other abilities, the inner eye is not hereditary. Seers can be born from a long line of wizards without the gift.

Throughout the years, historians have studied ancient scrolls from all civilizations. Nearly every early culture has shown evidence of seers. In ancient Rome and Greece, oracles, soothsayers, and prophets were as common as flies.

Young seers have been proven to have extraordinary amounts of natural magic. However, the reason is unknown. Several theories have been developed. One, that seems the most likely, is that

I looked eagerly at the next page.

When bitten by a floozie, it is best to run around a beech tree, covered in the trees sap and leaves. This is the only way to stop the poison from going into effect. However, several reputations have been severely tarnished due to this practice. (see It was the Floozie's Fault! By Rot N. Luk)

Huh? I glanced quickly back at the last page, then again to the next page. I checked the page number and my suspicions were confirmed.

A page had been torn out.

I examined the nearby shelves, fiercely hoping that it had simply been misplaced or dropped. My search yielded no results. 

Sighing, I began looking around at the millions of books. Of course, I thought, There's so many books… there's bound to be another one about seers.

I started combing the bookshelves once again. After hours of futile searching, I came across something that looked hopeful. It was entitled Origins of Magical Persons and creatures.

I riffled through the pages excitedly. I was so close to finding the answer. My eyes skimmed the words quickly and stopped on a separate sheet of thin paper. 

Gently, I pulled the delicate slip of paper from the book, careful not to tear or damage it. I settled myself into an comfy armchair that I conjured with my wand and began to read.  
  


Metamorphoser Feru

Metamorphoser Feru? Why did that sound so familiar? Where had I heard it before? I shook off the thought and continued to read.

Metamorphoser Feru is one of the deadliest and darkest spells in existence. As a result, very few know of it. The spell will transform any living, breathing organism, be it human or animal (though no spells have been legitimately tested on animals), into a hideous beast. The recipient of the curse stays the same in every other way. Victims of the curse tend to keep to themselves. Therefore, not much is known about the aftereffects of the enchantment. The creator of the spell is often thought to be Lucifer Malfoy (ca. 1246-1304). Ironically, legend tells that he himself was subjected to his own curse, leaving behind a wife, several mistresses, and many children. It is believed that the only way to remove the curse is if the creature falls in love and is loved by another.

I gazed down at the paper, filled with a mixture of horror and amazement. This was the spell in my dream! Could the boy have been Lucifer Malfoy? No, it couldn't be, I muttered to myself. Real smart Ginny, Lucifer Malfoy was the creator of the curse… he couldn't have been a boy when he discovered it!

I sat in the chair for hours, pondering over the two strange passages. Could they possibly be related?

I must have dozed off, because I was soon deep in a startling vision.

I was standing in a giant stone room. From the look of it, it was a dungeon. No… forget that… it was a torture chamber, full of cruel instruments of pain and punishment, but empty of all human life. 

A sudden movement caught my eye. My gasp reverberated around the bleak cavern as I saw a horrific image.

A teenage boy was chained by his wrists and ankles to the wall. He sagged forward piteously, his limp, golden hair hiding his eyes from view. He groaned as he stirred, lifting his head to look at the room. He gasped painfully and I felt tears spring to my eyes.

Why? Why? Why did I have to dream of this? I can't stand this! I can't stand to see this boy in so much pain!

I buried my face in my hands as the boy breathed painfully. I could see that he was agonizingly emaciated, nearly skeletally thin. His light gray eyes were empty of all emotions save pain, and his light frame shivered at the chill of the room.   

Oh how I wanted to help him. I would do anything in my power to save this poor boy. But I knew I couldn't. I was merely a phantasm, invisible and insubstantial. 

I froze as I heard heavy footsteps trudge down the steps. Momentarily forgetting my invisibility, I tried to hide behind an iron chair. 

A hooded, masked figure cloaked in black stepped in front of the boy. He stretched out one long, pale finger and lifted the boys chin. 

"Our Lord is displeased with you son!" he snapped, "I hope now you'll stay away from that trash!" 

The boy glared at him, dull eyes beginning to burn with a smoldering flame.

"She isn't trash!" he growled.

The man raised his hand to strike, then, after a moments consideration, lowered it. Instead, he ran his hand softly against the boy's face. The boy tensed and shuddered away from the hand that was slowly stroking his bloodstained face.

"So beautiful, yet so stubborn and foolish." His hand paused above the boys cheek, poised and ready to strike. "You'd better do as I tell you, my Dragon, if you wish to live."

He whipped out his wand and bellowed "Crucio!"

Agony filled shrieking filled my ears. The room soon dissolved into a deep, velvety black. 

I awoke with a jolt, causing the heavy books to fall off my lap onto my feet.

"Shit!" I cried, to no one in particular. This simply isn't my day. First I have this horrible dream. Then, I miss dinner. Then, I manage to kill my feet!

I shuddered, remembering every vivid detail of the dream and plodded off wearily toward my room, eager to get some real sleep.

A/N: YES!!!!!!!!!! MY RENAISSANCE PROJECT IS FINALLY DONE!!!!!!!! THE STORY IS UP AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hehe… FF.net must really hate me… I haven't been able to sign in for the past 3 days! ;-( So I had the chapter written, but I couldn't upload it… poo… well I hope you like this chapter! It's got a little bit of everything! D/G contact, explanations, a dream…

Now… I need some help for the next few chapters… should the castle be Malfoy manor or not? How should D and G bond? (I don't want a wolf scene b/c I want to stick with the traditional story) How should G find the missing page? Any suggestions are welcome!

On to reviewers…

*Arella Hallo*   I tried to combine both Beauty and Rose Daughter but it ended up being more Rose Daughter… oops… anyway… you're completely right! ALL ARE MY SLAVES!!!! I command everyone to REVIEW! ^.~

*gohansfan*   I made the beast laugh b/c he's still the same person inside, even though he's changed on the outside. FF.net is there… even tho they didn't let me sign in for three days! ::grumble grumble::

*Angie*    Are you sure you read the right A/N???? Because my other story, A Midwinter Night's Dream, is the only fic that mentions ending the story… but that's cuz I finished it… and it's the only one that has anything to do with the Weasley twins… but it's probably all a big misunderstanding!

*Iden's Garden*   Don't worry… I'm getting there!

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^.^ 


	9. Mixed Explanations

Disclaimer: Let's see… if the HP world was mine, I would be a mega-bajillionaire and live somewhere exotic… perhaps Paris… But alas, I am a minor-dollarnaire (I have about 3 bucks right now) and live in Hickville… sure… I own Draco Malfoy… (only in my dreams)… yummy… ^.^

~*Beauty is Found Within*~

Chapter 8 

As the days passed, I fell into an automatic routine. I would wake up, eat breakfast and go out to the greenhouse. Afterwards, I would spend time in the library researching about seers, prophets and the like. To my chagrin, there was barely anything to be found. 

Nightly I joined the beast for dinner. Beneath his terrifying and rough exterior, he still had the soul of a human being. He knew a lot about magic, the dark arts, and even Muggle literature. I had discovered about the latter when I stumbled upon him in the library on my daily excursion to my book-laden sanctuary. 

He was settled into a large, comfortable armchair, two small books perched on his knees, one of which he was writing in. He was so absorbed in his work that I couldn't bear disturbing him. Instead, I hid behind a bookshelf silently, one eye watching him and one eye looking for new books. 

After a matter of minutes he stood and snapped his fingers, causing one of the books to disappear into thin air. I gasped softly, _did he just do wandless magic?_ In all of the history books I had read, I only knew of three wizards capable of wandless magic; Godric Gryffindor, Merlin, and Voldemort. 

Hesitantly, in case he should return, I edged toward the armchair where the minute volume lay. I picked it up and began flipping through the pages. To my immense surprise, it was a collection of poems from the most notable and renowned Muggle poets of all time, William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, even Phyllis Wheatley were just a few.

An image caught my eye around the middle of the book. It was the profile of huge, white and black striped tiger. As I watched it in wonder, the great cat began to move, the millions of delicate strands of fur gleaming silver in the moonlight. A poem was printed on the opposite page. Sinking down into the soft chair, I began reading the timeless words.

The Tyger

By: William Blake

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright  
In the forests of the night,  
What immortal hand or eye  
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?   
  
In what distant deeps or skies  
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?  
On what wings dare he aspire?  
What the hand dare seize the fire?  
  
And what shoulder, and what art  
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?  
And when thy heart began to beat,  
What dread hand? and what dread feet?  
  
What the hammer? what the chain?  
In what furnace was thy brain?  
What the anvil? what dread grasp  
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?   
  
When the stars threw down their spears  
And watered heaven with their tears,  
Did he smile his work to see?   
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?  
  
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright  
In the forests of the night,  
What immortal hand or eye  
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

        I shut the book slowly, fingers grazing slightly over the silver fur of the graceful feline. I sat still for a while, hands unconsciously stroking the smooth leather cover. Cocking my head to the side, I wondered why this poem, this simple twenty-four line poem, affected me so much. Something about it struck close to home. 

        I stood unsteadily, unsure of where I should place the book. As I rose, one of the gorgeous hairpins Fizzy had conjured slipped from my hair and fell to the ground. In the midst of my search, I managed to kick it beneath a heavy table. I drew my wand and prepared to banish it, praying fervently that it wouldn't go sailing across the room like Professor Flitwick when Colin missed the cushion he was aiming for. 

        To my great relief, the table only scooted back a foot or two. I suppose that I was growing spoiled from having my every whim granted but I was surprised to see that the floor where the table had been previously was covered with dust balls and dirt. Then again, the library was suspiciously dusty. And, I had never seen a house elf go inside. Perhaps they were afraid of the looming bookshelves and dark draperies. Or, the beast could have forbid them from going in. 

        I spotted my pin beside a crumpled piece of parchment, yellowed with age. Due to my elephant's curiosity, I couldn't help picking it up, smoothing it out and reading it. 

        At first the parchment appeared to be blank. Then, elegant letters began forming in blood-red ink. I dropped the parchment in fear, immediately reminded of my second year. The parchment lay on the ground completely harmless as the words continued to appear in their graceful hand.

        Yet again, curiosity got the better of me and I stooped to pick up the parchment again. But before I could read it, a shaft of golden-red light from the opening in the curtains played across the words, reminding me that it was time to go to dinner.   
        I returned the table back to its original spot and ran back to my room, stuffing the parchment into my pocket. 

        In my room, I found a gorgeous garnet colored dress with an elegant scooped neck and a fashionably flared skirt. As I lifted up the gown reverently, I noticed a beautiful set of ruby jewelry with a chain of rubies set in gold and a pair of delicate hanging earrings. 

        _All Gryffindor colors_, I noticed with a smile, _the beast must have a sense of humor after all_.

        After dressing, I made my way to the dining room where I knew the beast would be waiting for me. He didn't often talk so I tried to fill the stillness with my chatter. Occasionally he would offer a sentence or a little tidbit of information but mostly he just sat and watched me. This night was no exception.

        As soon as the food was served, I summoned up my courage to ask him, "Why don't you eat beast? Everything is so delicious."

        He replied, "My hands are not built for handling silverware. The most precise work they can do is to turn pages."

        I asked him again, "You like to read?"

        "Of course," he answered, "it's the only thing that can distract me."

        _From what?_ I asked him silently. Then a thought struck me. If he spent time in the library, maybe he knew something about seers! I toyed with my food as I debated internally whether I should ask him or not. 

        He must have noticed my silence for he stood and said, "Thank you for joining me Ginny, sleep well."

        I nodded detachedly, he had said the same thing nearly every night. 

***

Later that night in the safety of my bedroom I pulled the parchment from my robe pocket and spread it out in front of me, hands trembling with both excitement and fear. I watched in fascination as the crimson letters began appearing again.

Speculum Magus

I show not your words nor your face

I show not your desire 

I show the person in your thoughts

I show them to you, no more no less

        _What does this mean?_ I sighed, "I bet Hermione would know what's going on." I said softly.

        Suddenly the parchment began to shimmer. I dropped it in surprise and backed away as it continued to spark and fizzle. As soon as it stopped, a picture materialized on it. 

        Trembling, I picked it up. What it showed me nearly made me drop it again. 

        It was my family! Mum, dad, Ron, Hermione… everyone was there, even my older brothers! As far as I could tell, they were all standing in the kitchen of the Burrow. 

        Mum was crying into dad's shoulder as Ron seemed to be explaining something to them. Even dad's eyes were glimmering strangely. I wondered what they were saying. I held a finger inches above the parchment hesitantly. I touched it lightly and instantly felt myself plunging headlong into a deep chasm. 

        When I "landed", I found myself in the very kitchen where I had seen everyone, except now I could hear them. 

        Ron was still speaking but I could barely hear him over mum's loud sobs.

        "I've tried to go and find her," Ron beseeched mum, "But I can't make my way back to the castle."

        _Find? Who are you trying to find?_ I tried to ask them, but no words came out. 

        "Are you sure Ron?" Dad said, his voice strangely constricted, "I mean… you could have just made a mistake."

        Hermione stepped forward shaking her head. "There's no mistake dad. Ginny's nowhere to be found. I tried all sorts of tracking spells and devices. I even went to a Muggle tracker for help!"

        I gasped. _They were looking for me!_ I opened my mouth again, desperate to say, "I'm right here guys! I'm right in front of you!" 

        Mum turned and glared at Ron, eyes still red and puffy. "She's your baby sister Ron!" She half shouted, half sobbed. "You're supposed to take care of her!"

        Ron hung his head in shame and I wanted more than anything to tell mum that it wasn't his fault, that I had come of my own accord. But before I could, the room spun before my eyes and a new scene swam into view. 

        It was the park where I was supposed to make my speech. Several Ministry officials and my dad were seated at a long table. Behind them was a huge figure shrouded in a velvet cloth. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a very nervous Ron being reassured by Hermione as he shredded a pile of note cards to bits. Dad must have chosen Ron to take my place, as he had been Harry's best friend. 

        I watched as Ron stumbled up the stairs to the podium and shakily pull out his wand to cast a _Sonorous_ spell on his throat. I watched in anticipation but before Ron could speak, I felt a small tap on the small of my back. I turned and looked behind me but no one was there. Puzzled, I looked back towards the high table. Another tap. I whirled around again, looked down, and gasped. Fizzy was standing there, a worried scowl (A/N: Is there such a thing?) on her normally cheerful face. 

        "Misses is very bad not to come to bed." She scolded, shaking her long finger at me. "Me and Lucy is looking for you all over!"

        "Sorry Fizzy," I apologized sheepishly, "I didn't mean to stay so long."

        Fizzy nodded and said, "But we is needing to get back now. You is needing to get your rest." 

        I nodded and she held out her hand. As soon as I grasped it, I felt a small tug around my collar, as if an invisible hand had picked me up. I landed on my bed with a small 'oof'.

        "Now," Fizzy said, "I is needing to clean you up misses."

        Not wanting her to lose her temper, I allowed Fizzy to fuss over me while I pondered over the mystery of the paper. Why had it shown me those visions? What did I say to activate it? Suddenly it all clicked. The paper was meant to show you anyone you wanted to see! Before the picture appeared, I had said, _I bet Hermione would know what's going on._ The paper must have recognized Hermione as a name and had shown her to me. 

        Strangely giddy at the thought of solving the puzzle, I settled back onto my pillows and closed my eyes. _With luck,_ I thought as I drifted into sleep, _I might be able to get to the bottom of this mystery after all._

A/N: IT'S HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow… I can't believer it… it's been nearly a month since I updated… I feel so lazy and stupid… but since it's spring break and my projects are over and done with… I'll be able to update much more frequently. But I'm having a few technical difficulties… FF.net italicizes some of my things and leaves the other ones… not italicized. If anyone knows how to fix it, **_PLEASE_** let me know!  
Now… I decided that it isn't Malfoy Manor… I'll explain where and what the castle is later on. But for all you B&B buffs, when should the Beast start asking G if she'll marry him. Should he ever?   
Also, for Shakespeare fans… after this fic is over, I'm thinking of starting an adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing. I've already gotten some of the characters. Ron for Don Pedro, Harry for Claudio, Ginny for Hero, Hermione for Beatrice, Draco for Benedick, FrednGeorge for the constable, and Arthur for the father (can't remember his name now). If anyone has suggestions for other parts… let me know.

And now for all the Remus/Severus shippers. I'm attempting to write my first ever slash fic. Look for it. It will be called Painter and may have a few companions or sequels. 

**Time for Reviewers!!!**

  
*Iden's Garden* Thanks for your suggestion! But I decided to make it a different castle. But I REALLY value your opinion and thank you millions for your help!

*gohansfan* Thank you for you undying support! You make me want to cry (for joy)! This chapter is solely dedicated to you! Without your help I don't think I could have come up with it! Your ideas and emails helped so much!

*JS12* XOXOXO girlie!!! Thank you thank you. ::bows, then looks up sheepishly:: 

*Spiriteth* I am continuing! 

*Pegasia Silverfeather* I love your name!!! Hehe… Well I hope you like this chapter… it's a glorious 5¼ pages… 

*Angie* Let me put it this way… Ginny's still kinda in shock and she can't really put it together. She's not stupid or anything… she'll get it soon. Anyway… it's good that we got that A/N thing cleared up!

*Moi* You haven't read them??? You HAVE to! They are soooo good! The books are called Rose Daughter and Beauty, both by Robin McKinley. Read them if you have the chance!

And as always… REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! O___o


	10. Memory

Disclaimer: The closest to owning _anything_ remotely close to the HP Empire that I may get is standing outside Barnes and Noble in the wee hours of the night, waiting for it to open so I can use my _very_ hard won cash to buy the 5th book. Oh, and the fact that I have created my own fantasy Draco Malfoy (who is as hot as two Hottentots in Hottenworld (i.e. _very, very_ hot)) to be my slavey boy! Yum…

~*Beauty is Found Within*~

Chapter 9

        The next morning I sat in bed with the parchment spread out in front of me, trying my hardest to figure out the relevance of my dream last night.

        _It had been at Ron and Hermione's house. They were watching WNN. The newscasters face was grave as she said, "Numerous accounts of dark activity have been occurring all over the country. Whether it be dark creatures out on the loose, or actual attacks on Muggles and Muggle-borns."_

_        "That's no question!" Ron nearly shouted, "It's Malfoy of course! Who else could it be?"_

_        Hermione was trying to argue with her husband and balance Hope and a spellbook at the same time. "But Ron," she said matter-of-factly, "Draco Malfoy has been missing for 5 years. Everyone knows that he's dead."_

_        She was interrupted by Hope's sudden crying. She was shaking her head frantically and waving her little fists around, as if trying to tell them something. "Ssshhh…" Hermione cooed, "You must be tired, baby. Why don't we get you to sleep?"_

_        Hope's fists tightened again and a loud crash sounded from the dining room. Hermione told Ron to see what the problem was and he complied gamely. He soon returned with a picture frame, it's glass front shattered._

_        "It was a picture of Ginny," he said, with a strange expression on his face. "The spells must have been loose."_

_        Hermione shook her head, "No," she said, "I checked and double-checked those spells. They're supposed to last a lifetime."_

_        "You made a mistake," Ron soothed her, "Everyone makes mistakes 'Mione."_

_        Hermione looked crestfallen, "But that's never happened before," she murmured, "All my spells work."_

_        She was distracted again by Hope, who was now wailing loudly and pointing at the picture in Ron's hand. As Ron stepped closer, she tried to grab it, nearly cutting her small hands on the glass. _

_        "You better take her upstairs, 'Mione", Ron said uneasily, "I don't want her down here with all this glass."_

_        Hermione nodded and turned to go upstairs, cuddling Hope to her chest and singing a soft lullaby. Ron stayed in the living room, running his fingers along the side of the picture frame. _

_        "I'm so sorry Gin," he said, voice oddly choked, "I'll never stop looking till I find you. I promise."_

        I snapped out of my daydream, deliberating what to do next. Should I look in the parchment again to see them? _No… if I use the parchment_, I thought, _it should be for something more urgent._

        I decided to go back to the library. I had been neglecting the greenhouse as of late but I was itching to continue my research. 

        On my way to the library, I managed to get lost again without returning to "Ginny's Room", a very strange occurrence in itself. Then, I found myself outside of the very gallery I had seen in my dream and on my first day in the castle. Inside, I discovered that many of the paintings had been changed or switched around. In place of the picture of the young boy was now a picture of a young man. In fact… _no… it couldn't be…_ It was Malfoy.

        How could it be him? He'd been missing for years, and now his painting just appeared? I stepped closer and examined the painting. An idea struck me, I could use the parchment to find Malfoy!

        I unfolded the parchment and waited patiently for the crimson words to form. I said softly, "Show me where Draco Malfoy is." 

        The parchment fizzled and sparked but no image appeared. I frowned. That was strange… the parchment was supposed to show whomever you wanted it to show. But nothing was happening on the parchment. No… there was now. A faint image began developing on the page. Eagerly I leaned in to watch.

        I was disappointed to discover that it was Hogwarts, and during Malfoy's final year. He was walking slowly through a deserted corridor. Wait a tick… _deserted?_ Malfoy never went _anywhere_ without his cronies. But then again, they could have been pigging out in the Great Hall. 

        I wondered if I should go inside the parchment again. If I did, I could find out why he was alone. On the other hand, I had no idea how to get out. After several minutes with the voices in my head arguing, I decided to throw caution to the winds and plunged into the paper. 

        I landed with a small thud. It seemed I wasn't able to land as gracefully as I did the last time. I stood, rubbing my sore backside painfully as I looked around for Malfoy. He had disappeared! 

        I hurried around the corner and recognized it as the Charms corridor. Malfoy was leaning against a stone wall, eyes closed. He seemed to be thinking hard about something. I inched forward slowly, looking around warily for what he was waiting for. Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the distance. Malfoy opened his eyes and straightened up, a fearful look suddenly in his eyes. He muttered a quick incantation, _Sparire_ and vanished into thin air. "Great," I said out loud, "He used a disappearance spell. Now how am I supposed to find him?" 

        The footsteps were coming closer and closer now. I backed away. If _Malfoy_ was afraid of this, Mr. I'm-not-afraid-of-shit Malfoy was scared to death, what could it be?

        The answer was a short, sixth-year, freckly-faced girl with large brown eyes and long red hair. Yep, you guessed it. It was me.

        My jaw dropped. I remembered when it was. It was near the beginning of the year and I had developed a tiny crush on Malfoy. I mean, how could I help it? He was no longer an over gelled, pinch-faced midget. Instead, he had stopped gelling his hair and had let it fall in his eyes. And instead of a scrawny body, Quidditch had transformed it into a girl's living wet dream! Sadly, in personality, he was in every way the same, still stuck-up, obnoxious, and self-absorbed.

        _Great_, I thought, _he must have found out about my crush. No doubt he's trying to hide from me._

        Meanwhile, my past self was walking briskly through the corridor, muttering to herself about Potions. Now I could remember exactly what day this was. Snape had just given me an incredibly low score on my healing potion, and it was completely correct too!

        But what was supposed to happen next? My eyes widened as I remembered the incident that was about to occur. 

        My past self was so absorbed in obsessing over the potion that she wasn't watching where she was going. Within seconds, she had run into an invisible barrier and fell down with a small "oof". In the next moment, Malfoy had materialized again, his face beet-red. My past self was still sitting on the floor and hadn't even noticed Malfoy. She looked up, saw him, and gasped, her face also turning scarlet. 

        "What was that Weasley?" Malfoy drawled, face going back to his normal scowl, although, it seemed almost painful for him to do so. "Couldn't see where you were going?" he continued.

        "Well what were you doing invisible Malfoy?" she retorted fiercely.

        For once, Malfoy was at a loss of words. Then, regaining his composure, he replied, "It's none of your business Weasley. I'm sure you have enough to do with following Potter around and all. Surprising that he hasn't even noticed you stalking him. I always knew he was thick, but can a person really be that dim?"

        My past self's face reddened even more. "Well at least he's not the one being mooned over by Parkinson!" she yelled, then turned on her heel and stormed away. 

        I looked back at Malfoy and was surprised to see that he had dropped his mask again. Except this time, his face was the very personification of sadness. He stared in the direction of where she went for minutes before finally turning and leaving.

        I stood there, unsure of what to do next. I could see no way of getting out of the parchment. "Um… excuse me," I called out, "but I'd like to get out now, if it's not too much trouble."

        Nothing happened.

        Frustrated, I began walking down a side hallway to cool down. Soon, I stumbled upon 17 year old Ron, Hermione, and Harry. I expected to feel my heart racing and pulse quickening at the sight of him, like it always had, but nothing happened. I was so caught up in contemplating my lack of feeling towards Harry's part that I didn't even notice their heated discussion. I only began paying attention when I heard Ron say, "Bloody Malfoy, what does he think he's doing?"

        Hermione furrowed her brow, "What do you mean Ron?"

        "I mean," Ron sighed in frustration, "he's been following the Gryffindors around for weeks. The only good explanation is that he's spying on us for You-Know-Who."

        Harry cut in, "For Merlin's sake Ron! Say VOLDEMORT! It's not that hard. And besides, Malfoy's working for the Order, don't you remember? Dumbledore told us at the last meeting."

        I gasped. _Malfoy was in the Order?_

        "But that doesn't mean he's not double-crossing us!" Ron insisted.

        Hermione rolled her eyes, "That would mean that he's a spy pretending to be a spy pretending to be a spy. Sure Ron… that makes loads of sense."

        Ron's ears turned red. "Well… can you think of any other explanations?"

        Hermione shook her head, a small smile on her face. Then, a thoughtful expression came over her face, followed by one of glee. "You don't think he has a crush on anyone do you? That would be just _perfect_!" She began squealing and jumping up and down, naming all of the girls in Gryffindor that might be crush material and even some boys. Ron gaped when she mentioned Seamus Finnegan. "Seamus? 'Mione, you can't be serious!"

        Hermione giggled again, "Why not? Everyone knows Seamus is bisexual—"

       "Yeah, cause he hits on everything with two legs." Harry sniggered, "I don't know how Dean puts up with him."

        Ron's ears reddened yet again. "Erm… I guess that's true— but why would Malfoy of all people have a crush on a Gryffindor?"

        "I don't know," Harry shrugged, "maybe because we're all sexy sons of bitches?"

        Hermione laughed and hit him upside his head, "I hope you're not counting yourself in that group."

        Harry wiped his eyes dramatically and said, "What? You don't think I'm sexy? I'm hurt!" He held his hands over his heart and staggered backwards, gasping for breath. 

        Suddenly, the hallway began to fade and I recognized the feeling of being pulled out of the parchment. I stood still and readied myself for the jolt that would surely come. But this time it was different. It took much longer for me to actually be lifted out of the parchment. And then I was able to make out a dark, hulking shape in the distance. The last thing I saw before shooting into the gallery was a slight glint of silver light…

A/N: *giggle* A little bit of a cliffie at the end… but I think you can all guess who the "dark, hulking shape" was… But anyway… it's been almost another month since I updated. I feel so bad! Especially since I promised more frequent updates, but I've been really busy getting ready for allstate and other things. But still… I hope all reviewers (and non-reviewers… grr) like this chapter. I put a tiny twist in it that I don't think anyone anticipated… 'specially me…

My LOVELY reviewers!!!

*Canimal* Thank you so much for liking my story!!! I really like your story "Kairos" too! Definitely keep writing that. And everyone else… READ THAT STORY!!!!!!! By the way… review… or update???? 

*princess17* Here's two of your suggestions in one chapter! Thanks for the idea!

*gohansfan* All I can say is… THANK YOU!!!!!!!! oh yeah and… EVERYONE READ HER STORY TOO! It's called Judge Not by What You See. Lol… I meant to say that in the last chapter but I forgot… oops

*Laylana-Fairyweather* Thank you so much! But I have to give a lot of credit to Robin McKinley, it was her books that inspired me to write this fic. Thank you again sooooo much for taking the time to read this… more coming soon!!!!!!!

If you don't review… I'll go to your house with a machete and a rabid warthog… or if you do review… a piece of chocolate cake and a fuzzy hamster… whichever one you prefer.


	11. Flee

Disclaimer: I'm kinda tired of making up clever and witty disclaimers so I'm just going to say… tis not mine and twill never be. 

A/N: *grins evilly* Well here it is… chapter 10 with a definite twist. I would've written more but alas… finals this week. Curse those sadistic bastards that we call the school board! *breathes* whew… need to calm down a bit. Anyway… loads of stuff in this chapter. But anyone who can guess what will happen with Hope gets a cookie! 

On to further business… have any of you noticed those weird symbols on chapters of the story? They're driving me nuts! I don't know what caused them. Is it a problem with my formatting? 

REVIEWERS!!!

*Canimal* Merci beaucoup! This chapter is even more twisty. By the way… update your story soon! (please?) 

*Dropped Rose* umm… All I'll say is… I go to school in the southern US. I don't think you're a serial killer or anything (I hope not! :-P) but there are a lot of creeps out there… 

*gohansfan* So sorry I took so long! But thanks for your comments! I like the Draco bit too, although I was yelling at Ron and Hermione the whole time while writing the dream thing. 

*kaze* lol… I did update… though probably not as soon as you wanted me to. Oh well… I tried but… evil teachers and exams… *shudder*

~*Beauty is Found Within*~

Chapter 10

        The galleria materialized in front of me and I closed my eyes to try and focus them. When I lifted my eyelids, I found myself not in the gallery, but in my own room, lying in bed. 

        _That was strange…_

        I carefully tucked the parchment away, sheer exhaustion taking over my body. Little did I know that the small piece of paper would cause me an infinite amount of heartbreak. 

***

        Over the next eight months I became used to the huge, confusing castle and the ever-changing rooms. I visited the greenhouse daily, carefully tending and coaxing the roses into full bloom. But for some reason, I always felt a strange presence in the back of my mind. Something that I knew was there, but was never able to locate or identify. 

        The beast had also become dearer to me. I found myself looking forward to the dinners we shared each night. He was easy to talk to and was very knowledgeable in many things. I couldn't imagine living in the castle without him. Of course I was still extremely homesick but his presence reduced it somewhat. 

        But one day, I discovered something new about him… something… different.

I had been in the greenhouse at the time. I carefully skirted around sharp thorns and delicate vines to find my special bush and was ecstatic to find that a tentative bud was growing on it. I gently pruned and watered it, careful not to disturb it. "Please grow," I whispered to it, urging it with my mind to flourish. 

        Suddenly, the bud began to open. I gasped watching as it slowly unfurled each soft, velvety petal. Soon, it has released all of its petals and was arranged in a beautiful cup shape, it's lovely fragrance wafting out of it in a deliciously saccharine mist. 

        I sighed happily and leaned close, examining the blood red, nearly black blossom curiously. What had made the flower bloom so quickly?

        I turned to look around for a reasonable explanation and instead, looked deep into a pair of bottomless silver eyes. 

        I clapped a hand over my mouth, smothering the scream that was sure to come. The beast drew back; chagrin and distress clear on his face. "I apologize." He muttered, "I didn't mean to frighten you."

        Strangely, he seemed to have withdrawn into himself. He was nothing like the regal, aristocratic being he was usually. Instead, his manner was more like an embarrassed teenager, flushed and uncomfortable. 

        "It's f-fine," I stammered out, "It was my fault."

        He stood there for another moment uncomfortably before saying, "I'll just go then…"

        He turned but before he could I screwed up my courage and asked, "Do you like roses then?"

        His face lit up with a tentative smile, "Yes. I think they're the loveliest things in the world…" He trailed off, about to say something but changing his mind. "Do you?" he asked instead.

        "Like them?" I replied shyly, "Or love them so much I scare myself?"

        He chuckled lightly. Emboldened by his response to my jest I continued, "My family has even complained about it. They say that I spend so much time with the roses they wouldn't be surprised if I turned into a giant rose myself, or as Ron puts it, "a massive thorn". But I couldn't, I love taking care of them too much."

        "Is that why you come out here?" he asked.

        I nodded, "I've been trying to save this bush." I waved vaguely in the direction of the rosebush. "But there's something strange about it. Before I saw you, I asked it to grow and it did… almost as if by magic."

        He looked at the bush in puzzlement, then comprehension dawned. "This bush hasn't bloomed for ages." He explained. "Supposedly, it only blooms in the presence of one who is truly in love." He stopped, almost as if he had said too much.

        I peered at him, "But I'm not in love…"

        He cut me off, "I must leave you." he said quickly, "I'll see you at dinner."

        Before I could stop him he had disappeared. I ran over his words in my head. _The bush only blooms in the presence of one in love_. I glanced at the single blossom, nodding in the slight breeze. I stood, still staring at the innocent plant. It was just like I said earlier. I wasn't in love. At least not at the moment. Harry had once inspired feelings of love within me but now I realized that it had never been love. Only a long, drawn out infatuation held in place only by force of habit. I felt almost saddened, "loving" Harry had been one of the ties to my old life and now… it was no longer there. 

        As I trudged back to my room I the full impact of my exchange with the beast hit me. He had said that true love made the bush bloom, and I wasn't in love. That meant that… the beast was in love? Somehow, the idea of him loving someone wasn't as strange as I thought it would be. It even struck me as humorous, the ponderous beast pining over any person. 

        Back in my room, I found the customary dress lain out on my bed. After slipping into it, I walked briskly to the dining hall, all the while imagining scenarios for the beast's mysterious love. Perhaps she had been his sweetheart during school and he was forced away from her. Perhaps they were married, and something happened. Or maybe she was the one who caused him harm, causing him to be torn between hate and love. 

        I was so preoccupied with my thoughts I barely noticed the dining hall in front of me, the beast seated at the long table. I blushed and hurried to join him. I ate detachedly until the beast inquired if I was all right. I told him it was nothing and cast my mind about for a topic to discuss with him. All of a sudden I blurted out, "What do you know about seers?"

I had searched the library each day for clues regarding Hope's situation. But as always, it eluded me. The only new information found seers was that they were often linked to sorcerers and sorceresses, a complete different breed of wizards. They had no need of wands or any other channeling objects, unlike Merlin, who could only perform certain types of wandless magic. Many of the Greek gods and goddesses were actually sorcerers who fancied themselves deities.

The beast peered at me, obviously curious about my choice of conversation. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Well, there isn't much known about seers, considering that there have only been a small handful of them."

I smiled, thinking of Professor Trelawny and her doubtful "inner eye". 

"But what we _do_ know is that they are extremely powerful in their youth. Nearly as powerful as sorcerers."

"Sorcerers?"

"Yes. Some historians have even go so far as to say that they are descended from the same source of magic."

I nodded, rather frustrated. I had already discovered this information and was eager to learn something new. 

He continued on, "As babies, since they can't talk, although they develop that skill earlier than normal infants, seers sometimes 'talk' by means of dreams and clues they give to ones they trust."

"What kind of clues?" I interrupted.

He shrugged, "Just things like, objects moving or dropping to call attention to them, books opening to certain pages, and so on. A lot of times muggles attribute these incidents to things called poltergeists but they're actually children showing potential of being seers."

"Then how come the attacks stop after a while?" I asked. 

"Most budding seers stop 'seeing' and moving things by the time they're teenagers. That's why there are so few."

I nodded (I seemed to be doing that a lot lately), digesting the information and lapsed into silence. After a while, he rose, bid me good night and left the room. 

***

        That night I tried to mull over the newfound thoughts but was soon ensnared in the arms of Morpheus. 

_It was Ron and 'Mione's house again. But it was different this time. It was obvious that 'Mione had redecorated and that the children had grown considerably. But it had already been nearly a year, it was to be expected._

_Hermione was admonishing Harry, who had apparently gotten into trouble again. Athena was sitting nearby, barely acknowledging them as she watched Sesame Street on television. Meanwhile, Hope was sitting in her high chair, fussing slightly. _

_Ron appeared at the doorway, still in his pajamas and rubbing his eyes sleepily. Hermione looked up, a smile on her face to greet her husband. It faded when she noted the expression on his face. _

_"Did you have another dream dear?"_

_Ron sighed and sat at the table, "Yes. I don't know what to make of it. Every time I see her, she's either in a greenhouse or a library. But today, she was in this great dining hall and talking to someone. But I couldn't see who it was."_

_Hermione moved behind him and began massaging his shoulders. "Don't worry honey, we'll find her. Besides, there never was a scrape Ginny couldn't get out of right?"_

_Ron nodded tiredly and set his head on the table until Athena poked him. "Daddy," she asked timidly, "Where's aunt Ginny? Hope said she was happy… but I miss her."_

_Hermione whipped around, her face set in a slight frown. "Hope said? Athena, what have I told you about lying?"_

_"To never do it?"_

_"That's right. So you can't say that Hope is talking. She's barely over a year old." Hermione stated matter-of-factly._

_"But she is talking!" Athena whined, "she told me that Aunt Ginny went away but she's coming back today."_

_Ron looked at his daughter, eyes stern. "Athena, you shouldn't make up stories to upset your mother."_

_"But I'm not making it up!" Athena stomped her foot, "Harry heard her too! Tell them Harry!"_

_Harry nodded fervently but chose not to back up his sister vocally, reluctant to invoke the wrath of his mother again. Hermione set her mouth in a thin line to rival Professor Mcgonagall. "Athena, I'm going to tell you one more time. No more lying. No more talk of baby speech. It's impossible okay?"_

Athena looked over at Hope who was busy building a tower of cheerios. She hesitantly nodded her head. Then Hope opened her mouth and—

**Wham! **I hit the suddenly, a bump appearing on the back of my head as I hit it on a drawer. I pulled at a dresser handle to raise myself off the floor but instead spilled the contents of it on the ground. Grumbling, I began clearing up the various odds and ends that were inside until I came across a folded sheet of parchment. Speculum Magus, I thought. After the first few times, I had barely even acknowledged its presence. But now… it could help understand something… something crucial for my continued peace living with the beast. 

I unfolded the parchment slowly and waited patiently for the words to form. In a hushed voice I whispered, "Show me the one whom the beast loves…"

My eyes widened as the form emerged on the paper and I leapt up, backing away from it in horror. 

Soon I was stuffing the parchment in my pocket as I ran to the entrance hall. Forget about the promise… I thought wildly, nothing's going to make me stay here. I ran outside amidst pleas from various house elves that had gathered around. I pushed through them and ran toward the gate, wand in hand. 

The parchment must be wrong, I decided. But deep within my heart, I knew it wasn't true. Instead of showing the blue-eyed, blond-haired beauty I had expected, it had shown simple, brown-eyed, red-haired, haphazardly freckled… me. 


	12. Found

A/N: I'm so incredibly sorry! So much you don't know! I don't know what's come over me… no updates for 3 months! And I was supposed to have finished this story by now! I feel horrible. I have some excuse though… I took Precalculus this summer and my workload was immense… I took it in another state so I wasn't at my house and I didn't even have a computer to work on. I begged my mom all year for a laptop but alas… no cigar…

To my wonderful reviewers (and non-reviewers who will hopefully review since I've given them such a wonderful cliffy/present):

*Gohansfan* Thank you for thinking my chapter was brilliant! I hope you like this one too!

*Laylana-Fairyweather* this chapter answers your question!

*Fire-sprite16* I completely agree with you… I do need to get my act together and update more… ::curses my lazy self and tries a spell for inspiration… backfires… winds up with blond hair::

*Leena* My beautiful Beta reader!!! This chapter's for you babe!

*Meadow* I hope you're right! Just keep hoping!

Disclaimer: *looks up from reading HP5 yet again* oh yeah… not mine

~*Beauty is found within*~

Chapter 11 

I ran. My heart pounded in my ears as I fought my way through the undergrowth. Branches slapped at my face, surely leaving scars. All the while, a voice ran through my head, urging me onward, though I knew not the reason. 

Suddenly reality hit me like a rogue branch from the Whomping Willow. What had I gotten myself into? I was lost in the forest, without food, shelter, or any hope of getting out alive. 

Breathless, I doubled over, looking at the gaunt trees surrounding me. In the distance I saw a flicker of light between the tree trunks. I immediately headed toward it. As I drew near I saw that it was a small campfire. A hooded figure sat by the fire, warming his hands. 

Drawing near, I began to inch my wand out of my pocket... Who… or what could this be? Suddenly the cloaked figure lifted its head and looked in my direction. A hand emerged, beckoning me onward.

Hesitantly, I edged forward. The figure spoke, "Don't be afraid; I won't harm you."

The voice sounded achingly familiar, but unlike any other voice I had heard before. It had a raspy quality, as if the owner had not spoken for quite a while.

I edged forward, eager to absorb the warmth and light of the blazing fire. He slid over a bit, giving me room to sit on a worn blanket. For a while we didn't speak. Finally, I screwed up my courage and asked, "Who are you? Why are you out here?"

I could almost feel him smile, "I should ask you the same. After all, ladies first."

I nearly laughed when he said that. Hearing the chivalrous words of a knight in shining armor coming from the mouth of such a serious mannered man was somehow hilarious. Working to keep a straight face, I answered, "My name is Ginny Weasley," His head snapped up as if receiving an electric shock to look me in the eye, his own still carefully hidden. As he turned his head, I just barely noticed a small glint of green. Where had I seen that shade before? 

"Ginny Weasley?" He whispered, head bowed. 

I sat there, unsure of what to say, he seemed so lost in his own thoughts. Since he seemed so preoccupied, I decided not to ask his name. Instead I asked, "Could you tell me where we are now?"

He lifted his head slowly and said after a moments thougt, "I believe we're in the forests near Devon, somewhere near the Otter River" 

I gasped. That meant we were right by Ottery St. Catchpole! And that meant… the Burrow! I cursed myself. I had been so close to home for so long, but had never realized it.

He must have noticed the my small intake of breath for he asked if I was alright. I breathlessly answered in the affirmative, mind racing at the possibilities this new information provided. I bit my lip, if this mystery man knew where we were, maybe he could lead me home. 

I opened my mouth to speak but before I could he said, "Would you like me to take you there?"

My throat went dry. "Where?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly.

"To the Burrow," he replied, "You're a Weasley are you not?"

I nodded slightly. Obviously he was a wizard; how else could he have known about the Burrow? Then a thought struck me, what if he was one of the rogue Death Eaters roaming around the countryside? Ever since Dad had become contender for Minister of Magic he was a prime target attack, Death Eater or otherwise. _Damn_, I should never have opened my big mouth. But then again, any wizard would be able to recognize the trademark flaming hair. 

He spoke again, "I have no ulterior motives, if that is what you're wondering. Feel free to hex me if you doubt my intentions."

I silently weighed my options in my head; if I allowed him to take me home, he could still spring a surprise attack on us. Then again, my brothers could take on any Death Eater. 

I replied slowly, "Alright, but I need to see your arm."

He nodded and pushed back the sleeve of his robe and I was faced with… a smooth, unmarred inner left forearm. Still unsure, I pulled out my wand and muttered _Finite Incantatem_. The skin remained blank. 

I raised my eyes, "Alright," I said hesitantly. "I'll believe you for now. But if you give me _any_ reason, I won't think twice about using my Bat-Bogey hex on you."

What I could see of his face twisted into a wry smile. 

"I'll keep that in mind." He said. "You should try and get some sleep, we can get moving in the morning."

I nodded as I spread my cloak on the ground. Luckily it was a semi-warm night and I was still wearing my heavy gown from dinner. I could still see the man sitting on his log, now scribbling in a small, ratty book. If only I could see his face. No doubt due the incident in second year, anything faceless scared me unconditionally. I would wake up screaming from nightmares of hooded figures attacking me in the dark.

But I was too tired to think of that. My escape had drained me, physically and emotionally. I soon drifted off to sleep with a feeling of safety and love surrounding me.

************************************

         I awoke to the sound of the fire being put out. I sat up and the man pointed me to a small, nearby stream. I washed my face and drank greedily, when I suddenly thought of the beast. I had run out so quickly, without giving a thought to the beast, not even giving him a reason. The house elves must have told him, I reassured myself. 

         But why was I so worried about the beast? He had kept me hostage, forcing me (no, never forcing me) to stay. I couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that welled inside me. The parchment had shown me the object of the beast's desire, and I was afraid. Not of the beast, certainly not. I knew he would never intentionally hurt me. But I couldn't think… didn't even know what to think.

************************************

         We walked through the forest without uttering a single word. I cast about for a topic but ended up on a big load of nothing. Thus, the majority of our journey passed in silence.

         Finally, I could see the trees thinning… the sunlight was shining through the leaves… I could hear birds singing again! And not far away, I saw the Otter River, where my brothers and I used to play for hours on end. 

         I nearly cried for joy. I was almost home! I could see my family again… see my dear nieces and nephew. 

         I started running as soon as I saw the Burrow. I could see Ron outside, degnoming the garden and I called out for him. He raised his hand to shield the light and stared. He sat down and began fanning his face, most likely thinking he was hallucinating. I reached him and threw my arms around his neck, tears welling up in my eyes. It was almost comical, my usually otherwise neat Ron, courtesy of Hermione, sitting in the mud with a dazed look in his eyes.

         "Ginny?" He croaked, "Is that really you? I'm not imagining things right?"

         I wiped my cheeks, "It's me Ron, really me."

         He shook his head, "No, it's not you… it can't be."

         I was getting quite tired of this, "Of course it's me you dolt!" I cried and smacked him upside the head.

         He finally came to his senses and ran inside, shouting something along the lines of, "SHE'S BACK! FIRE-TEMPER IS BACK!"

         I laughed, remembering the old nickname he had given me, after I pushed him into the river for setting my doll on fire. I turned to see the mystery man grinning and said, "Come in with me, I'm sure my family would love to meet you."

         His face fell, "I can't…" he muttered, "I have things to do; things to take care of."

         I put on my best pouting face, "But you must!" I said, "You brought me home! I really want you to meet my family."

         But of course there was no need, since a stampeding herd of red-haired buffalo came charging out of the house.

         "GINNY!!" Mum came rushing up to me and swept me in a giant hug. I could see Hermione sobbing into Ron's chest while he patted her awkwardly on the back.

         Mum let me go and the rest of the family surged forward, practically choking the life out of me. I found it difficult to hug Hermione, owing to the round lump in her middle. 

         "You're pregnant again!" I squealed and she nodded, fresh tears spouting from her eyes. Ah… hormones… that would explain the crying.

         Fred and George came barreling at me, almost knocking me to the ground. Percy, as usual, wasn't there. Bill and Charlie were though, showering me with hugs.

         Then came the questions…

         "Where were you?" (Everyone)

         "We were worried sick!" (Hermione and Ron)

         "How did you get back?" (Bill and Charlie)

         "We missed you, you tetchy little thing!" (Fred and George)

         "Did you eat well?" (Mum, who else?)

         Finally I was able to pry myself away from their grip and began telling them everything… well… nearly everything.

         I told them how I had lived in the castle, how the beast had been so kind to me. I told them about the research I did on seers and the finding of _Speculum Magus_, earning another reprimand from Dad about the potential danger of dark objects. I told them about the roses, the beautiful greenhouse, and the enormous orchard. But not once did I mention the strange feelings I had been going through… the guilt I felt at leaving.

At last Mum noticed the figure standing outside our circle and asked me surreptitiously, "Ginny? Who's that man?"

I immediately turned and dragged him forward, "Weasleys, I would like you all to meet the man who saved me and brought me home."

Two bright red patches had appeared on the man's cheeks, "Well… I didn't really save her…" he mumbled.

"Nonsense!" Mum cried, "You saved my baby girl!" And she wrapped him in a giant hug.

"What's your name dear? I didn't quite catch it the first time."

The man, as if dazed by the bone-crushing hug muttered, "Er… my name is… Evan."

I smiled, giddy about the fact that I finally knew his name… I wouldn't' have to call him "the man" anymore.

My family surged forward and began another round of hugging and questioning. I could see that Evan was flustered but also slightly pleased by the amount of attention being heaped upon him.

Mum herded us all back inside the Burrow and we sat down at the kitchen table. She immediately began bustling up the kitchen, throwing ingredients into various pots and pans, pointing her wand every which way. 

Meanwhile, Dad had begun questioning Evan about everything. Where did he find me? Why was he in the forest to begin with? Evan looked extremely uncomfortable; it was obvious that he didn't want to give that information out. I tried discreetly to warn Dad but he just barged on, asking more and more prying questions.

"Don't worry," Hermione whispered, "he's just feeling bad about losing you in the first place. He doesn't want you to get hurt again."

I barely had time to think about her answer before Mum set out enormous plates of all my favorite homemade dishes. Without another thought I dug in, stuffing my mouth full of the delicious cuisine. My family stared at me, shocked. Normally I never ate this way. I looked at them sheepishly and shrugged, "I guess I just missed your cooking mum."

Her eyes immediately filled with tears and she jumped up, making some excuse about a boggart she needed to take care of. We could hear her bawling all the way up the stairs. Dad also excused himself and ran up after her.

"So," Ron said, "Now that they're gone, will you tell us what's really been going on?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat, "Wh-what are you talking about Ron?"

"You know what I mean," he cried in exasperation, "What happened to you? That… _thing_ won't let you go for eight months and then you just come back all of a sudden! We're your family! You can tell us!"

I looked around the familiar worn wooden table at my brothers and Hermione, all determined to force the answer out of me. 

"I… I ran away…" I mumbled, "I don't know why… but I just had to."

"I knew something was wrong!" Bill exclaimed, "He hurt you didn't he? Because if he did I'll kill that son of a bitch!" 

"No!" I cried, "he didn't hurt me… there couldn't have been a kinder person. I just had to come home."

Charlie looked at me speculatively, "This doesn't make sense Ginny, if you had to come home, why didn't you come back earlier? You had us all crazy with worry."

Guilt welled up in me again and I buried my face in my hands. "I'm sorry," I whispered, "I don't know why… I don't know what happened."

Hermione threw her arms around me and glared at the men, "How can you say that Charlie? Ginny just got back home! You don't need to be asking her these questions. Why can't you just accept that Ginny has her own reasons for coming back now. Come on Gin, why don't you come upstairs with me? The children are up there napping. I'm sure they'd love to see you."

I nodded, and backed away from the table. Hermione smiled at Evan, who had been sitting silently through the whole exchange, "Why don't you come with us too?" she asked.

He looked almost shocked at the request but stood and followed us out of the kitchen. 

The kids were asleep in my old room. I noticed with a pang how much they had all grown. I'd missed 8 months of their lives… 8 months I would never be able to relive again. I had missed Hope's first birthday and the twin's third. We watched them as they slept, little Harry with his soft red-brown hair, Athena with her endearing freckles, and baby Hope, who had become even cuter than before.

As Evan bent over the bed, stroking Athena's hair softly Hermione whispered to me, "Who is he really Gin? There's something so familiar about him… something I can't quite place."

I didn't answer her. The question had been plaguing me too. There was this quality about Evan, he seemed infinitely sad, yet at the same time hopeful and optimistic.

He straightened up and said with a small smile, "They're beautiful, what're their names?" 

Hermione beamed and began introducing the kids, "This here is Hope, she's only 13 months old but mum insists she's old for her age. And this is Athena, Ron swears she's a mini-me, but I think I see his blindly stubborn streak in her. Last but not least this is little Harry. We named him after a dear friend of ours, who died in the last battle, about five years ago."

Hermione's voice choked, as was inevitable when Harry was alluded to. Evan had gasped slightly when Harry was introduced and lapsed into silence. His head was bowed and I couldn't see his expression. 

Finally he lifted his head and said softly, "I'm sorry but I really must leave. I have business to attend to, people to meet."

I nodded slightly and he turned to kiss each child on the forehead. As he reached Hope she opened her bright blue eyes and giggled as she reached for his hood and pulled slightly. His head jerked up and the hood fell, showing a nest of jet-black hair, sticking up every which way. I heard Hermione scream as he turned around.

My eyes met his full on for the first time. I found myself drowning in a sea of emerald green. I was paralyzed… I couldn't even bring my self to breathe. My vision raked across his face, taking in the familiar cheeks, the full lips, and finally, the scar marring his forehead. A scar shaped like… a bolt of lightning…


End file.
